Pair of mug shots

Thanks for your comments, Pam!
I see now that in addition to the colorism of background to flesh, I need to give a lot more attention to the overall color harmony of the composition. When you say to vary the values of the colors, are you referring to the background colors? To the overall range of values in the painting? Thanks for the fresh eye and taking the time to help. I was about to make the same mistake on the painting I'm planning now!